Category: 2011 07 15

Digging for the truth

The lesson was brutal. “Do you know,” I was asked, “what a gold mine listed on the Vancouver Stock Exchange actually is?” Er, I guess not. “A hole in the ground with a liar standing over it.” Twenty-five years later, that only slightly exaggerated observation often comes back to me when I hear ... read more ››

Cree actor Gordon TooToosis dead at 69

Canadian Stony Cree actor Gordon Tootoosis has passed away at the age of 69. The television and film star of projects like Legends of the Fall, North of 60, Wapos Bay and most recently, Blackstone, passed away in a Saskatoon hospital after suffering a bout of pneumonia. Tootoosis’ career in the ... read more ››

Government refuses to set up task force on Aboriginal women

Despite the fact that there are over 582 missing/murdered Aboriginal women in Canada, Status of Women Minister Rona Ambrose said that the federal government will not be setting up a specific task force to deal with the issue of missing and murdered Aboriginal women. After a two-day meeting held in Gatineau, ... read more ››

Police seeking suspect in Kuujjuarapik child sexual assault case

Yann Thiboudeau, a spokesperson for the Sûreté du Québec, confirmed that an investigation was underway in relation to a sexual assault committed on an eight-year-old child on June 16 in Kuujuarapik. This is a joint investigation being conducted by the Nunavik branch of the SQ and the Kativik Regional Police Services. ... read more ››

Man stabbed and medivaced out of Whapmagoostui

Constable Johnny Kawapit of the Eeyou Eenou Police Force in Whapmagoostui confirmed that on June 26, police received a call from the local nurse to look into an apparent stabbing. The call came in at around 3:58 pm – about 14 hours after first responders went to the home of Brian ... read more ››

The woods are alive with the sound of…?

I woke up one morning in a half-dazed fog. I was in the woods at a cottage in the wilderness where normally the forest was quiet and still. There was no wind this night to rustle the leaves in a nearby stand of poplar trees or to blow through the ... read more ››

Far from home

Continuing with his passion for making films that expose and remove prejudices, Quebec filmmaker Guy Simoneau has created Qallunaaliaqpallianiq – Heading South, a compelling new documentary that focuses on Inuit living in southern cities of Canada. The five people who this film follows are a varied group with little in ... read more ››

Creative gem

Tim Whiskeychan is a productive and prolific artist and generalist of sorts when it comes to the visual arts – he’s a painter, illustrator, sculptor and craftsman. Many samples of his work are displayed in his hometown of Waskaganish and throughout the greater James Bay community. Fluent in three languages, Whiskeychan ... read more ››

Driving for funds

It was a beautiful start to the summer season as Quebec Native Women Inc. (QNW) hosted the organization’s 5th Annual Golf Tournament. Once again held at the Caughnawaga Golf Club in Kahnawake, this year’s tournament attracted more than 100 golfers and raised over $15,000, which QNW (www.faq-qnw.org) will use to ... read more ››

A big “No” to niobium mining

As more voices join the movement to stop a niobium mining project on Kanehsatake territory, the pressure to put an end to the project is mounting amidst a great deal of suspicion and confusion. On June 30 about 40 protestors congregated in front of the Best Western Ville-Marie Hotel as Niocan ... read more ››

“Proud to Serve”

According to Grand Chief Matthew Coon Come, June 28 will go down in the history books of the Cree nation as a day of pride and celebration as yet another dream, once conceived of by Cree Elders some 40 years ago, has finally been realized. The rainy June morning marked not ... read more ››

Battling the Eskan warriors

While Eska water products may line the shelves of stores throughout the province of Quebec, the Eaux Vives Water Company’s latest ad campaign has been leaving a bitter taste in the mouths of those at the Val-d’Or Native Friendship Centre (NFC) over allegations of racism in both the French and ... read more ››

A woman on the go

In 2010, the Native Women’s Shelter of Montreal (NWSM) was hit with a devastating blow – a $35,000 cut to its annual funding when the federal government terminated the Aboriginal Healing Foundation’s funding. Those precious dollars, about one third of the NWSM funding, went to pay for a wide variety of ... read more ››

Summer, cont’d

One of the nice things about summer is the times set aside to celebrate. Given the long days and energy everyone seems to have in early summer to plan, design, discuss, pay for and carry out in grand style – like galas, weddings, holiday parties and graduations. This all takes ... read more ››

Sweetgrass on the verge

The restaurant biz is one the toughest businesses to be in, and this is the one I have dedicated the last 7-1/2 years of my life to. It has been a dream come true and one I would like to share with you. I know I have written this before and ... read more ››